Benzinga's M&A Chatter for Friday January 18, 2013 - InvestingChannel

Benzinga’s M&A Chatter for Friday January 18, 2013

The following are the M&A deals, rumors and chatter circulating on Wall Street for Friday January 18, 2013:

Brocade has No Plans to Sell

The CEO Comment:

Brocade Communications (NASDAQ: BRCD) has no plans to sell itself, according to CEO Lloyd Carney. Brocade named Carney as the new CEO on January 14, replacing Mike Klayko.

Several private equity firms had reportedly expressed interest in Brocade, including Thoma Bravo.

Brocade Communications closed flat at $5.64 Friday, on lower than average volume.

Life Technologies Hires Deutsche Bank to Explore Strategic Review

The Strategic Review:

Life Technologies (NASDAQ: LIFE) Board of Directors has hired Deutsche Bank and Moelis & Company to assist in its annual strategic review. The board of directors has not decided on any specific course of action.

Life Technologies closed at $60.79 Friday, a gain of 10.55% on 8.5 times average volume.

Ericsson Reportedly Hires JP Morgan to Explore Strategic Options

The Rumor:

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) has reportedly hired JP Morgan to explore strategic options, according to the Wall Street Journal. A sale of ST-Ericsson, the joint venture between Ericsson and STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), is one possibility, according to sources.

Ericsson closed at $10.56 Friday, a gain of 2% on 4 times average volume.

Hearing Renewed Takeover Chatter in Molycorp

The Rumor:

Molycorp (NYSE: MCP) was the subject of renewed takeover chatter on Friday, following a report from SmartPlanet. Siemens (NYSE: SI), Nissan (OTC: NSANY) and Hyundai (OTC: HYMTF) were mentioned as possible buyers.

Molycorp has been the subject of recent takeover chatter, following a selloff on January 10 on weak guidance.

Molycorp closed at $8.86 Friday, a gain of $0.06 on lower than average volume.

Triumph Group to Acquire Goodrich Pump & Engine Control Systems

The Deal:

Triumph Group (NYSE: TGI) today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire the pump and engine control systems business of Goodrich Corporation from United Technologies Corporation (NYSE: UTX). The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the current fiscal quarter. The acquired business, which will operate as Triumph Engine Control Systems, LLC and be included in the Aerospace Systems Group, is expected to add approximately $195.0 million in annual revenue and to be immediately accretive to earnings.

Triumph Group closed at $69.93 Friday, a gain of 3.78% on almost twice average volume.

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